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New School Year Update:
Pantry Packs is awaiting LWSD’s meal service plan for the new school year and will set our plans accordingly. We anticipate further changes will be required, and that Pantry Packs operations will not be the same as during remote learning in the spring. As soon as we have a viable plan with LWSD we will notify school counselors quickly so that they can communicate with their students. In the meantime, we are continuing our halt on donated foods this summer until further notice. We will update interested volunteers via our Volunteer Notification list when opportunities are available, rather than answering individual emails. Washington state’s group gathering restrictions continue to impact how our volunteer force can operate. Please stay tuned!
ONGOING PROGRAM UPDATES DURING THE LWSD CLOSURE AND COVID-19 OUTBREAK ​ARE NOW POSTED ON OUR UPDATES PAGE. Check them out for more details about our current operational changes. 

Pantry Packs powered by the Lake Washington Schools Foundation provides weekend food packs for Food-insecure LWSD students each week  

When kids don’t get enough to eat, they can’t concentrate and they can’t learn. Teachers tell of students excited to be at school on Mondays because they can eat there through federal programs. But these same children in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) often go hungry on weekends or during school breaks.​
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With community donations of time, funds and kid-friendly food, 40 volunteers come together each month (when social restrictions end) to “pack the packs.” Volunteer drivers then deliver the packs to more than 46 participating schools, and each week school coordinators distribute the packs to hungry children in preschool through high school. Throughout the school year, Pantry Packs demonstrates how volunteers, schools and the community work together to help children in our area. For more information, email PantryPacks@lwsf.org.

YOU CAN HELP!

FOOD DONATIONS DROP-OFF: Pantry Packs will be holding food drop-off events each Friday from 1:30-2:30 through June 19. Donors should drop off their pre-sorted food donations at the front office (not the warehouse in back) at 14816 NE 95th Street, Building 6, in Redmond. No donations will be accepted from June 20 until sometime in August.
  • ​PACK THE PACKS: CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DURING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
    Join other volunteers in assembling Pantry Packs, or at a prepping event to unpack food. Bring a friend. Bring your middle and high schoolers for community service hours. Bring a PTA/PTSA. Bring a scout troop. Bring a school honors club.  Student volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult, and all volunteers must sign up online to participate. Check the Packing & Prep Event Instructions to sign up; note that we're limited in the number of volunteers per packing party, and these opportunities fill up quickly.​ Submit the Volunteer Notification Form to be notified of future volunteer opportunities as they arise.
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Girl Scout volunteering at a Packing Party. (Young Reflections Photography, 2016).
  • DONATE FUNDS FOR BULK FOOD PURCHASES​: 
We welcome the donation of funds to purchase the food we need at the best possible price. Please click the donation button to make a donation or mail a check written to "LWSF-Pantry Packs" to:
Lake Washington Schools Foundation
PO Box 83, Redmond, WA 98073
​Remember that your donations may be matched by your employer. And consider making a recurring donation...because hunger is recurring!
  • Each $6 per month buys a single pack of food for a LWSD student.
  • $24 per month sponsors a single student’s monthly supply of packs.
Simply order the food items you wish to donate and your order will be shipped directly to Lake Washington Schools Foundation and designated for Pantry Pack’s use! Some items even have an optional “subscribe and save” option to set a recurring donation. Remember to include your name and address in the "note" so that we can properly record your donation and issue you a receipt.

When a community comes together, its members can solve the most pressing problems. Join us to solve student hunger in the Lake Washington School District.

ADDITIONAL PANTRY PACKS RESOURCES:

Note: Pantry Packs are packed in bulk and are not checked for allergens.